I sat on the balcony of my room, stretching out my legs. I smoked my cigarette while breathing in the cool air. The weather was starting to get colder now. Today had been very stressful and intense; I was very tired but couldn't sleep. I was experiencing excitement, happiness, sadness, and hatred all at once. The man I loved was coming to ask for my hand tomorrow. The two families had made peace. But Zerrin the witch—or rather, I should call her a snake now—what she had done to my family over the years was unforgivable. Who knows what my mother, Melek, had been through all these years. Thinking about it drives me crazy. After the doctor examined my mother, he told my father that due to her excessive drug use, her memory was extremely weak and her recovery would take time. He also stated that it would be better for her to receive treatment in a hospital. But my father said, "If necessary, bring the hospital to our home. I won't let Melek out of my sight again." His eyes were always welling up; he was blaming himself for what happened to my mother. When I went to my mother's room, she was silently watching me. I tried talking to her, but she didn't react. In front of everyone, she only looked at me, her eyes filling with tears. After sitting with her for a while, we left her alone with my father as she had fallen asleep. I had no idea what happened to Zerrin and her accomplices. My brother was devastated. He had gotten in his car and left the house. My father had sent his men after him, but I don't know if they found him. He had turned off his phone so we couldn't reach him. The sound of my phone made me get up from where I was sitting and go into my room. When I picked up my phone from the bed and saw Sarp's name on the screen, my heart started pounding wildly with excitement. Without waiting long, I answered the call. "Hello?" I said. "My beautiful wife, were you sleeping?" "No, I couldn't sleep. I was sitting on the balcony."
"Today was a difficult day for you, my beauty. You should sleep and rest." His tone of voice was so beautiful. I wanted him to keep talking. "I can't sleep. I can't believe my birth mother was kept captive in a house for twenty years, her brain drugged into numbness. Who knows what she went through all this time. This is an inhuman act. Zerrin and her accomplices should rot in prison for life." "My beauty," he said in a soft tone. "Don't worry, your father will make sure they get the punishment they deserve. And your mother will recover. From now on, I will do everything I can to make you happy, my beauty." "Thank you so much, Sarp," I said. "Why are you thanking me, my beauty?" "For finding my mother, and for coming into my life." Smiling, he said, "You found your mother's location, my beauty. I just went and brought her to you. Besides, it wasn't me who came into your life; it was you who came into mine. While I was having you searched for all over Istanbul, you suddenly appeared. I was enchanted by you at first sight, even without knowing who you were." When Sarp talked like this, my cheeks flushed as if he could see me. "Don't embarrass me." "Don't be shy with me anymore, my beauty. I'm your husband now. Now sleep and rest; we'll have our wedding in a few days. I don't want to live apart from you anymore, my dear wife. Wow, look at this situation." When he said his last sentence loudly, I flinched. "Even though we're married, I'm living apart from my wife. What was the point? If only your father had let me take you with me," he said, and I smiled. "Since when do you take permission from anyone?" I said.
"Right, I didn't leave you there because your father didn't give permission. I left you so everything would be proper and you wouldn't have any regrets. Otherwise, no one could have stopped me from taking you." "Anyway, let's sleep now; it's very late." "Let's sleep, my beauty, but first tell me you love me," he said. "I love you, Sarp," I said with great excitement. "I love you, my dear wife." I hung up and threw myself onto the bed. I placed my hand on my heart; it was pounding wildly. I had never felt such emotions before. So, this is what love felt like. ************ There was a flurry of activity in the house. A major cleaning was underway, and various treats were being prepared. My grandmother was directing the staff with great excitement and helping them. I was very happy; everything was falling into place. My father had also invited my mother Sevil and father Yusuf, saying they had the right to be here tonight too. I approached my grandmother, pinched her cheeks, and gave her kisses. "Grandma, you're tiring yourself out too much. Let the staff handle the work." "Everything must be perfect, my beautiful granddaughter. Today is your most beautiful day," she said, kissing my cheeks. "It seems you're more excited than I am, Grandma." "I really am excited. I'm so restless I can't sit still." I smiled and laughed at her. The place was full of staff. They had hired a company for today. Unable to resist the lovely smells, I went into the kitchen. When I saw the treats on the table, I couldn't resist and started eating.
"Ceyda, don't ruin it! I worked hard to arrange those treats," said Kader. I smiled at her. "Come on, my dear Kader, today is my day. Are a couple of treats too much to ask for?" "Of course not, my dear, but I worked hard to arrange them on the plates. I'd be very happy if you could eat without messing them up." Smiling, I pinched her cheek. "Don't worry, I won't ruin them. I want everything to go smoothly today. No mishaps." Hatice abla looked at me smiling. "There won't be any, my beautiful girl. Everything will be very beautiful. You've long deserved this." "Thank you, my dear Hatice abla," I said, smiling back at her. After eating some treats for a while, I went up to my mother's room. As I passed by Zerrin and my father's room, the door was open. When I looked inside, I saw that all the belongings had been removed. The room was completely empty. I was very surprised; I didn't know when they had cleared out her things. I walked towards my mother's room and knocked on the door. Hearing my father say "Come in," I entered. My mother was sitting silently on a chair, looking out the window. My father was holding her hands, watching her with sorrowful eyes. When he saw me, he said, "Come, my daughter," and stood up. When I went to them, he hugged me so tightly—I hadn't felt him as my father like this since I arrived at this house. "I was late for you, my daughter. Forgive me, forgive me, my little angel," he said, starting to cry. "Everything is my fault. For trusting the wrong people. For not seeing what was happening around me." I couldn't help it; I was crying loudly just like him. "From now on, I will do everything to make you happy, my daughter. I'm very late for this, but I will do everything to make up for it, my daughter. Your mother will get better too; you'll see, she will get better. I know it's very hard for you to see me as a father, but your mother and you are my life." I lifted my head and looked at his face. He looked devastated. My heart ached for him.
"Don't blame yourself, Dad. You wouldn't have wanted this to happen. You wouldn't have wanted to leave us. I see you as my father. I love you, Dad," I said. He hugged me again. He breathed in my scent and kissed my hair. As we stood like that for a while, I saw my mother watching us. She was looking at us with a blank expression. I separated from my father and went to her. I knelt in front of her and took her hands. "Mom, I'm Ceyda, your daughter. Talk to me, Mom." She was watching me with a blank stare. "Mom, please, say something. Look, they're coming to ask for my hand today. I wish you were well so they could ask you for me. I wish you could play the mother-in-law role and say, 'My daughter is still too young; I won't give her to anyone,'" I said, smiling slightly and sniffing. My eyes were still streaming uncontrollably. "Mom, talk to me. Who knows what they put you through. How did you live twenty years in captivity, Mom?" I said between sobs. Unable to take it anymore, I left the room. As I was about to enter my room, I changed my mind, went downstairs, and went out into the garden. I needed to breathe. If I went to my room, I would cry even more. I sat in the gazebo, covered my face with my hands, and cried for a while. It didn't matter if the men around were looking at me or not right now. I wiped my face with the back of my hands and lit the cigarette I took from my pocket. While smoking, my phone rang. I took the phone out of my thin cardigan's pocket. It was Sarp calling. "Hello?" I said. "Why are you crying, my beauty?" he said, and I looked around in surprise, wondering if he was here. But he wasn't visible. "Aren't you going to answer, my dear wife? Will you tell me what's making you so upset?" "Sarp, where are you?" "I'm at the office, my beauty." "If you're at the office, how did you see me crying?"
"Even if I'm not with you, I have little birds that bring me news of you, my love." "Hmm, so besides Cem and Erdem, there are many more here." "When it comes to you, I'd station an army at that door. Now tell me, who made you cry so much? And you're smoking too. I should ban you from smoking," he said with a sigh. "Come on, my beauty, I'm listening?" "I'm upset about my mother. She just sits there silently, looking at me. My father blamed himself, hugged me, and cried. He apologized to me repeatedly. Seeing them like that, I couldn't bear it." "Everything will be fine. Your mother will get better. I don't want you to cry anymore, my dear wife. We'll be at your place in an hour or two," he said, then in a teasing tone, "Your husband is coming, and you're not ready yet. Stop crying and get ready for your husband." Smiling, I said, "Okay, see you later." I hung up and called Yasemin on video call. "Ceyda, what's wrong? Has your brother come home?" "No, Yasemin, still no news," I said sadly. "It's almost evening, but he still hasn't come." "Don't be upset, my dear. I'm very worried too; he's probably clearing his head somewhere. He'll come back. Anyway, have you decided what to wear tonight? We're coming, just so you know; we won't leave you alone. In fact, we're leaving now; we can choose your outfit together, okay?" While listening to Yasemin, I started laughing. "What's wrong? Why are you laughing?" "Yasemin, you're more excited than I am. How many sentences did you say in one breath? Anyway, I'm hanging up now. Come early; we'll get ready together."I hung up, went to my room, and waited for the girls. ****** When the girls arrived, we got ready together. I hadn't worn most of the clothes bought for me since I first came to this house. The closet was full of various clothes, shoes, and bags. Since the girls and I were roughly the same size, I had asked them to wear my dresses. Now I was looking at myself in the full-length mirror. "You look so beautiful, Ceyda. If you look in the mirror any longer, you'll crack," said Elif. Smiling, I turned to her. "You guys look very beautiful too. But a bit too beautiful. Are they coming to ask for me or for you?" I said. "Oh, come on, maybe someone will like us too," said Yasemin, swishing her hair. We all started smiling. "Like my brother, for example?" I said. "If he comes, that is. I'm very curious about how he is." "It's not easy for him either," said Aslı. "Aslı, I've been so caught up in my own rush that I haven't asked about you. Did you make up with Alp?" At my question, her smiling face fell. "No," she said with a sigh. "That's over, Ceyda. We couldn't make it work," she said, her eyes starting to well up. I linked arms with her.
"Don't even think about crying, your makeup will run. You're not going to walk around all night with raccoon eyes, are you? Look at Yasemin; she's saying 'Maybe I'll find my match tonight.' Who knows, we might find someone for you too. Come on, let's go downstairs," I said, pulling her by the arm. She tried to smile, even if forced. I was wearing a navy blue evening dress. It was sleeveless, with a narrow cut, and reached just above my knees. The girls had styled my hair in loose, curled-up buns. When we went down to the living room, my mother Sevil saw me and came and hugged me tightly. "You look so beautiful, my beautiful girl. I missed you so much," she said. We had talked on the phone since I arrived, but due to my confinement, I hadn't been able to see them. "I missed you and Dad so much too, Mom," I said, hugging her tightly. "My daughter," said my father Yusuf. I let go of my mother and hugged him. "My dear daughter, you look so beautiful." He examined me with moist eyes. "Are you happy? You're still very young to get married. Will you be able to handle it?" "Dad, we talked about this. Sarp is a good man. And besides, it's too late for that now; we're already married, you know. You're worried about me, but don't worry, I'm happy, Dad," I said, smiling. I didn't want them to be sad. I myself didn't know what the future held for me. After all, Sarp had kidnapped me and forced me to marry him. I didn't know him, but I had fallen in love with him. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't leave him now. ****** When one of the men came in and announced that the guests had arrived, we were waiting for them at the door. Sarp's parents entered first. After greeting everyone, they smiled at me and went into the living room. Then Sarp's sister, Sibel, smiled and hugged me. Lastly, Sarp stood before me, smiling, holding a large bouquet of roses. Everyone except the girls had gone into the living room. Sarp handed me the roses and hugged me, smiling. He leaned close to my ear.
"You're so beautiful. Should I kidnap you tonight?" I panicked, my eyes widening. I started pushing him. But he didn't let me go. "Calm down, aren't you my wife?" he said. "Sarp," I said, not knowing what to say. He was still holding me tightly, breathing in my scent. "Brother-in-law, shouldn't you let go of our daughter now?" said Yasemin. "It's a bit improper. If you had come to ask for her hand, we might not have given her to you. You can't just cling to her like an octopus right away." Sarp laughed out loud, kissed my hair, let me go, and turned to Yasemin. "Sorry, girls, you're too late. I already took Ceyda a long time ago." He smiled and walked towards the living room. The girls were looking at me, smiling. When we went into the living room, after some conversation, Sarp's father asked for my hand from both my fathers, according to God's command. When my fathers looked at me, smiled, and gave their consent, I kissed the hands of our elders with Sarp. Finally, when Sarp hugged me in front of everyone, I was very embarrassed. We had gone into the kitchen with the girls to make coffee. "Guys, can you make the coffee? My hands are shaking from excitement," I said. "I'll make the coffee, my dear Ceyda," said Kader. "You can take it in and serve it." "What if I spill it? I'm so nervous. I'll be embarrassed." "You're the bride. Any other time, it would be normal for me to serve it. But now you need to do it, my dear." She prepared the coffee, arranged the cups on the tray, then shoved it into my hands.
"Take a deep breath and take it in," she said. No matter how much the girls insisted, I couldn't bring myself to put salt in Sarp's coffee. I managed to go into the living room and serve the coffees without spilling any. When Sarp took his coffee, he winked at me, making me even more nervous. Luckily, we got through the evening without any problems. My brother was still nowhere to be seen. When Sarp nodded towards the outside, I got up from my seat and left the living room. While waiting in the large hall of the house, I was rubbing my hands together and biting my lips from excitement. My unruly heart was pounding wildly again. When Sarp suddenly hugged me from behind, I jumped. "My dear wife, were you waiting for me?" he said, smelling my hair. "I missed you so much. You look so beautiful," he said, turning me towards him. He looked into my eyes with admiration and smiled. I watched his smile as if hypnotized. How beautifully he smiled, the heartless man. I don't know what expression was on my face, but it made him laugh out loud. Suddenly, he took my hand and pulled me towards the upper floor. Without objecting, I followed him. We went up the stairs and entered my room. He closed the door and pulled me close. He suddenly started hugging and kissing me. After a while, he rested his forehead against mine. "You're so beautiful; I adore you," he said. "I was always suspicious of you. I thought you were playing games with me to get revenge. But now I want to believe you. Do you really love me, Sarp? Are you in love with me?" I said. "I'm crazy in love with you, my beauty. I know I put you through a lot. I kept you, made you my captive. But I promise you, I will never make you sad again. I will do everything to make you happy." I smiled and looked at his face.
"What if you get tired of me one day?" I said. "That won't happen. I would sacrifice myself for you, but I still wouldn't let you go." He started kissing my eyes, my cheeks, my lips, everywhere. "Enough, stop now. Someone might come," I said. "Let them come; aren't you my wife?" After a while, seeing he had no intention of stopping, I took his hand and pulled him towards the balcony. Smiling, he followed me. The weather was getting colder now. When we went out to the balcony, the cold air made me shiver. Sarp hugged me to warm me up. "Do you remember when you came into my room from the balcony and woke me up by stroking my hair? I was so scared. For a while, I couldn't tell if it was a dream or reality." "I won't forget any moment with you. That night, when I told you to get ready because we were getting married soon, you didn't believe me and acted coy." I smiled. "When the mountain house was raided, in the shack where I took you..." "You said, 'I hate you,' and I said to you, 'The greatest loves start with hate.'" "When you said, 'I'd rather stay home forever than fall in love with you,'" "I said, 'Don't speak too soon.'" "Do you remember? Look, now you're my wife," he said, grinning slyly. "But I had many reasons to hate you. And also..." I paused. "And also what?" he said, frowning slightly.
"And also... I was afraid of you," I said. My voice came out faint. He kissed my head and said, "I'm sorry, my beauty," with a sigh. "I'm sorry for everything I did." After a moment of silence, I wanted to talk. "When did you feel that you loved me?" Smiling, he said, "The first time I saw you, when such a beauty came to my house by mistake, I felt very lucky. The fact that you were my enemy's daughter didn't change anything. Every time I looked at you, I became more attached." "Is that why you said you'd cut out my tongue on the first day?" I said. First, he fixed his innocent eyes on mine, then he laughed and hugged me tightly. "That was a bluff!" he said. Smiling, I snuggled closer to him. ****** After Sarp and his family left, I asked the men outside to take my friends home. Then, after my mother Sevil and father Yusuf left, I went to my room to sleep. I was very happy. It was as if I were flying on clouds. I was so excited I couldn't contain myself; I was dancing to music. In this state, I remembered the day Sarp kidnapped me. Even that day, I found Sarp very attractive, but I was also just as afraid of him. Dancing had made me thirsty. I took off my headphones and left my room. First, I wanted to see my mother, but since my father was with her, I didn't want to disturb them. I went into the kitchen and drank two glasses of water. Thinking I might get thirsty again, I filled my glass and took it with me. The surroundings were very quiet; everyone must have been asleep. Of course, it was very late. No lights were on except in the large hall. As I walked through the hall, I suddenly thought of Zerrin and her accomplices. I remembered my father telling his men last night, "Take them to the basement." Which basement was that?
Suddenly, an idea came to me, and I turned around. There was a corridor at the end of the hall. I had seen a staircase leading down from there before. I walked to the end of the hall and entered the narrow corridor. The corridor was very dark. I ran my hand along the wall, searching for the light switch. Finally finding it, I turned on the lights and looked around. There were five rooms here. When I reached the end of the corridor, I went down the stairs to the lower floor. There were many doors here. Were these the staff's rooms? Excitement welled up inside me. I should turn back and go to my room, but I was too curious. Walking with silent steps, I slowly opened the first door. It was dark inside. Before I could make out the interior, a man's voice said, "Can I help you, Ceyda Hanım? Did you need something?" A burly man stood imposingly before me. My eyes were wide as saucers as I looked at the man. "Um, I was looking for Hatice abla's room. Sorry to disturb you," I said. The man looked at me for a few seconds with disbelieving eyes, then said, "Hatice abla's room is upstairs. Let me help you." "Thank you, I'll find it," I said, turning around and climbing the stairs. Making sure the man had closed his door, I waited in the corridor for a while. One voice inside me said, "Ceyda, go to your room," while the other said, "Don't leave a job half-finished." What was the worst that could happen? With silent steps, I went back down to the lower floor. I looked around. If one of the guards was staying in the first room, there were probably guards in the others too. So, was this the basement of the house? It was best to start by checking the last room. I quietly moved towards the last door. I still had this glass in my hand; I wish I had left it upstairs before coming down. When I reached the last door, I slowly held the handle and pushed it down. When the door opened, I saw that it was a staircase. As I descended the stairs, it was so dark that I felt for the light switch, found it, and pressed it. The area was illuminated by a dim light. I started descending the stairs. When I saw my surroundings, I froze in fear, rooted to the spot. This couldn't be real. No. A moaning sound reached my ears. With fear and panic, I started moving forward. This place resembled a huge dungeon. There were many rooms with iron bars inside. I walked towards the moaning sound. What I saw before me took my breath away from fear.
Zerrin's accomplice, the man, was lying on the ground, covered in blood; maybe he was dead. In another cell, his wife was sitting, swaying. Zerrin was in a separate cell, her hair disheveled, eyes swollen, lips split, dried blood from her mouth. Had my father done all this? This was brutality. "Are you happy?" Zerrin, noticing me from where she lay, struggled to her feet. "All of this is because of you. Are you happy? Did you think your father was an innocent man? Look at our state!" she shouted, spreading her arms to show herself. "Look what he did to us! But I will make you pay for all of this. Do you understand? You will pay for ruining my life." Zerrin was screaming. I shuddered. I started trembling. The water glass in my hand slipped and fell. The glass falling on the stone floor broke with a loud sound, echoing. I had to get out of here. If I stayed any longer, I would collapse trembling to the ground. As I turned to leave, I had taken one step when I came face to face with the guard whose door I had opened earlier. It felt like the ground was disappearing beneath my feet. What was I going to do now?